Marble runway



May 14, 1946 Y G. B. HATCHER 2,400,410

MARBLE RUNWAY Filed May 18, 1945 j @2M WY-9 Patented May 14, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MARBLE RUNWAY Glenn B. Hatcher, Tulsa, Okla. Application May 18, 1.945, Serial No. 594,504

(CL 1G-43) 5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in marble runways and more particularlyto a toy of this character, the sections of which may be readily ,assembledy or takenapart One of the objectsoi the invention is to. prof,

vide a toy of simplev and inexpensive construction f and one which will afford amusement inthe erection and operation thereof., c c

Another object of the invention'isto provide a knock-down toy that may be readily packedin a relatively small container for shipment or storage, and which when in set-up condition will be automatically operated by marbles as they pass one by one down the troughs or channels of the same. r

, With foregoing objects outlined andwith other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, theinvention consists in the novel features hereinafter, described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig..1 is a top plan view of the marble runway.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same taken on the line 2.-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of a detail taken .on the line 3 f3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, 3 indicates a transverse base member having a slotor notch 4 intermediate its ends to receive a longitudinal -base piece 5, provided with an intermediate notch 6 to interlock with the notched portion of the cross i piece 3. The base piece 5 slopes toward one endV thereof and is provided at its-top withar longitu.

dinal groove or trough 1,v d own which marbles may gravitate. ,The lower end portion of the section 5 is provided with a recess 8 to removably receive the lower `end of a short post 9 which obstructs the lower end portion of the groove 'I and serves as a stop or abutment for the marbles. The higher end portion of the section 5 is provided with an upwardly opening notch I for the rigid support of a substantially vertical section I I having a groove I2 which functions to direct downwardly traveling marbles into the groove 1.

An upper inclined section l3 which slopes in a direction opposite to that of the member 5, is provided neark one end with a bottom recess I4 to detachably receive the upper end of the post 9.

The opposite end portion of section I3 is bifur-V cated, as indicated at I in Fig. 1, and the fork thus provided grasps the upper end portion of the member II. By the construction thus far described, the parts 5, 9, II and I3 when assembled, form 'a rigid structure which will guide f site sides of the section I3 land have their lower ends frictionally supported in recesses I8 in the base member. 3. J f

A top trough or section I9. is rigidly supported in an inclinedV position bythe upper ends ofthe posts VI'I andv for this: purpose theV memberv I9 is provided. near its medial rportion with bottom recesses 20 vfor the reception'of the 'upper ends of the posts.

The posts are detachablyfconnected to one another by a fulcrum bar 2| positioned above and extending across the section, I3. The fulcrum bar rockablyL supports a seefsaw section 22 having a transverse bottom notch 23 for the reception of the fulcrum bar. The see-saw section is provided at one end withV a scoop-shaped extremity 24 designedto receive a marblerom'the lower end portion of the top trough I9 and to transfer it to the higherendportion of the' section I3. The section 22 is preferablymade Ain two parts 25 and 26,:the latter servingasa counter-balance weight and being detachably and adjustably lconnected to thel part 25 by means of a short pinA 21 frictionally engaging recesses 28 and 29 in the parts 25 and 26 respectively.

The low end of the ktop trough I9 is bifurcated, as indicated at 30, for the reception of a gate 3|,

Apivotally connected to' the trough "by a horizontal pin 32 and provided at its .inner end with a tipping extension 33. The gate intermediate its ends, is provided with a transverse top abutment 34. A counter-weight 35 is rigidly connected to the outer end portion of the gate by means of a stem 36 which may be detached from the gate, and this counter-weight serves to normally hold the upper surface of the gate in a substantially horizontal position so as to obstruct downward rolling of marbles 31 off the lower end of the trough I9.

A nger 38 is xed to and projects upwardly from the see-saw section, adjacent thescoop end thereof, and it acts against the counter-weight 35 to tip the gate and cause its tipping end 33 to propel a marble from the lower end of the trough I9 onto the scoop end of the see-saw mem- Vtrough I9 is charged with marbles, the see-saw can move in a clockwise direction to cause pin 38 to impinge against counter-weight 35 and thus tip the gate so that a single marble resting on the tipping end 33 of the gate will be propelled onto the scoop 24. At the same time, the next marble in the series will be halted in its rolling by the raised end 33 of the gate. The marble which falls on the scoop will overcome thel weight 26 and cause the see-saw section to travel counter-clockwise so as to transfer the marble to the upper end of the section I3 from which i-t Will roll down the grooves I6, I2 and 'I in the order named, until halted by the post 9. As soon as a marble rolls off the scoop 24, the weight 26 will act to turn the see-saw in clockwise direction to cause it to again actuate the gate and repeat the operation. l

From the foregoing it is believed the construction and operation of the device may be readily understood and it Will also be apparent that the parts may be readily assembled or dismantled. It is also evident that changes may be made in the details of construction illustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention, as expressed in the following claims,

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A toy of the character described, comprising a base member, a trough member detachably interlocked therewith and sloping in one direction, a second trough member arranged above the rstn mentioned one, sloping in the opposite direction and having its lower end portion positioned ad'- jacent to the upper end portion of the rst-mentioned trough member, a see-saw member rockably supported immediately above the second trough member and having a scoop at one end t transfer a marble onto the upper end portion of the second trough member, a top trough mounted above thesee-saw member and sloping toward the upper end portion of the second trough member, a, gate pivotally mounted at the lower end portion of the Vtop trough member and constructed to release marbles successively from the top trough membenand a counter-weight suspended from the gate and actuated by the seesaw member for successively releasing marbles from the top trough member to permit them to gravitate onto the scoop and to be transferred by the latter onto the upper end portion of the second trough member,

2. A toy as claimed inclaim 1, in which'posts are detachably connected 'to the base member and support the see-saw member and the top trough member.

3. In a toy of the character described, a top trough member supported to slope in one direction, a gate pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the trough member and provided with a tipping end arranged at one side of the pivot axis, said gate having an upper surface normally in alignment with the upper surface of the bottom of the trough, an abutment extending across the upper surface of the gate and forming an obstruction within the trough member above said axis, and a counter-weight depending from the gate and normally holding the same in a position where the abutment obstructs the trough.

4. In a toy of the character described, a transverse base member, oppositely sloping trough members supported by the base member and so arranged that a marble rolling from one of the trough members will roll onto the higher end n and having their lower ends detachably connected -to the base member, a see-saw member positioned above the trough members and rockably supported by the posts for movement about a horizontal axis, a top trough member detachably connected to and rigidly supported by the posts, said top trough member Vsloping toward the higher end of one of the first-mentioned trough-members, and a pivoted gate arranged at the Ylower end portion of the top trough member and actuated by the see-sawmember for releasing marbles successively from the top trough member, the see-saw member being provided at one end with a scoop A to'receive a marble from the top trough member and transfer it to'one ofthe other trough members;

5. A toy of thev character described, comprising a base member, a trough member secured thereto and sloping in one direction, a second trough member arranged above the first-mentioned one, sloping in the opposite direction and having its lower end portion positioned adjacent to the upper end portion of the first-mentioned trough member,a see-saw lmember rockably supportedA immediately above the second trough member and having a scoop at one end-to transfer a marble onto the upper end portion of the second trough member, atop trough mounted above the see-saw member and sloping toward the upper end portion of the second trough member, a gate pivotally mounted at the lower end Iportion of the toptrough member and constructed to release marbles successively from the top troughrand a counter-weight suspended from the gate and actuated by the see-saw member for successively releasing marbles vfrom the top trough memberv to permitthemto gravitate onto the scoop and tobe transferred by the latter onto the upper end portion ofthe second trough member.

i. l GLENN B. HATCHER. 

